Men Of Haircolor

I'm a 38-year-old guy in decent shape, but my prematurely graying hair makes me look much older. Should I try some of that hair dye for men I see at the drugstore?

--Color Me Uninformed

Men self-dyeing their graying hair are today's version of bald men who thought they were fooling people while looking like a small animal dropped off a tree and landed on their head. It's understandable that you don't want to look "distinguished" at 38 -- a word 28-year-old girls use to describe their grandpa. But, what's worse than going prematurely gray? Going prematurely the color of fresh baby eggplant, like so many do-it-yourself Mr. Clairols. Others go way too dark; for example, light-skinned Jewish guys who end up looking like they hair-robbed Benicio Del Toro. If you must dye, make tracks for the salon. But, consider the look of self-acceptance: seeming comfortable in your own skin (and gray hair). You might call this the other "Just For Men" -- just for men who'd rather avoid being the guy who posted in a webforum, "Just for Men hair color turned the skin around my mustace [sic] a reddish purple color. How do I fix this?"